austraLasia #2486

PNG Delegation Central Highlands excitement

KUMGI (PNG): 25th August 2009 -- On 22nd August 2009 Kumgi saw the last of the special celebrations for Don Bosco Feastday held in the PNG-Solomon Islands Delegation, within the framework of public celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Salesian Congregation. The general SDB celebration scheduled for December 18 2009 will be during the summer holiday time in these parts, so impossible to involve students, teachers and parents. The other 10 communities in SI and PNG have already commemorated the celebrations around the usual date of August 16, as for every year, Don Bosco's birthday.
    Kumgi is in the PNG province of Chimbu – diocese of Kundiawa, and we are talking of Don Bosco Technical School. Present were: The Kundiawa Catholic Bishop, Antony Val, Chimbu province Governor Fr (sic). John Garia, Chimbu province administrator, Catholic and local education officials, some religious of the diocese, SVD vice-provincial in PNG, Fr. Gregory, and of course the Salesian 'core' of Kumgi  - 3 SDBs: the acting Rector Fr. Angelo Fazzini, Fr. Robinson Parappilly and practical trainee Br. Gilbert Pano, with three Sisters of Charity of St. Anne. For the Salesian Family of the Highlands there was Fr. Zdislaw Kruczek CSMA (Michaelite novice master), 320 current Salesian students (boys and girls) and their parents. There were also visitors from other Catholic schools in Kundiawa.
    The celebration was a living model of the first nucleus of GC26 (guideline n.1).Return to Don Bosco – “love, study, imitate, pray to him and make him known”. There was a time for the Don Bosco quiz with the students ahead of the feastday (150 questions, with many participants memorizing all of them for the best performance, also some sports contents and a drawing contest –  Don Bosco in PNG The best entries were part of the school exhibition in the recently finished school gym.
    On Saturday August 22, the morning Eucharist with the Bishop as main celebrant and attended by some 600 students, parents, families and other Catholic schools, together with the local authorities. Bishop Antony Val invited everybody to pray to St. John Bosco for the most numerous and fragile part of PNG society – for the youth. Fr. Klement as homilist underlined the background to this DB celebration – 150th anniversary, retelling the story of the SDB origins from 17 very young men who gave a hand to Don Bosco in his mission to the young. The Extraordinary Visitor invited the Salesian Family (SDB, ACS, CSMA, DB Past Pupils) to share the preventive system with the local Church and society.
    After the Eucharist a cultural show followed, in the large playground of the school, with more than ten different groups guided by the Kumgi school teachers, who performed in traditional garb with dances, songs, marching, all in colourful costumes from different parts of the Highlands and Central PNG. In the meantime on stage the Bishop with the civil authorities from the province contributed with talks – appreciating the DB Kumgi contribution to out-of-school youth through civic and technical education (grade 9-10). Indeed every year about 1,000 applicants apply for just 170 places in the first year of DB. During the nearly 15 year history of the school many boys and girls have discovered self-confidence, have learned to discipline themselves and have been able to entersociety well prepared.
    During lunch for the honorable guests the RAI-Lux Vide 2004 'Don Bosco' movie was projected. There was an occasion for the governor to share his invitation to upgrade DBTS as a Technical College, which is the dream of the Highlands at the moment bereft of any higher educational opportunity for the thousands of people in the Highlands.
    After the colorful traditional dance presentation the students continued with other spontaneous dances in the playground. Unfortunately one drunken outsider caused a tribal fight, which led to tension all round.  The area has been experiencing tribal infighting generally. With the help of the 3 Salesians and the Charity Sisters and  a God-sent downpour just after the sunset, the whole incident was calmed down, bush knives collected from the boarders and the painted faces cleaned up!
    Really a memorable day, finished in a typical PNG Highland style.

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Title: australasia 2486
Subject and key words: EAo Provinces PNG/SI Kumgi
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2486